All Consuming
by shiroihalo
Summary: The story of Godchild through Cassian's eyes.
1. Delilah

Cassian swallowed hard as he made his way down the dark corridor. After a month with Delilah, he still didn't know what to expect to be lurking in the shadows of any given hallway. He paused to take a deep breath and then forced himself to keep walking at a slower, somewhat relaxed pace. He had only gone a few steps when--

"You! With the black hair! Halt!"

Oh great. Just perfect. He had been hoping to make it through the halls of the large mansion without being stopped. The building was filled with more nutjobs than the circus. Rolling his eyes, he turned around, not surprised to see it was a member of the lower arcana that had addressed him so rudely.

"Yes, sir? Can I help you?" In truth, it was killing Cassian to pretend to be so polite, but he forced his smile anyway, deciding it was better to make enemies so soon after becoming involved in the already too risky alliance. Even if it was just an underling.

The robed man remained silent for a long moment before answering. "The Cardmaster would like to see you personally now. It is about your rank and assignment."

Cassian froze. Of all things, he had not been expecting that. He only stood there, wide-eyed, while the lower arcana turned and began to walk down the long corridor. He was almost out of sight when Cassian finally was able to get his feet to move and with a hurried trudge, he followed the steadily disappearing figure.

When he finally cauglht up, the underling was standing outside of a pair of large wooden doors. They were decorated extarvigantly with paintings of biblical angels and early man.Somehow, it gave him an awful foreboding feeling that no matter what he did, he could not seem to shake. The more he stared at the carved figures in the gigantic doors, the more that feelin grew, until that was all that he was aware of. Cassian was so absorbed in the intricate designs adorning the doors that he started when the lower arcana lifted his hand in a dramatic gesture for him to enter. Gulping, Cassian pushed aside those (surprisingly heavy!) beautifully painted doors.

"Come in, Mr. Cassian. Don't be so shy."

Cassian shivered as the chilling voice washing over him, and couldn't help but obey and take several steps into the large room. It was beautifully furnished with red velvet armchairs scattered about it in groups, with each group receiving its own polished wooden table. There were tall windows lining both sides of the room, with the same red velvet of the armchairs adorning the curtains covering them.

The carpet was a very busy neutral colored floral pattern and the walls were covered with blue striped wall paper. Cassian took a sharp breath. This was definitely more glamorous than what he was accustomed to.

"Don't be such a stranger, sir..." drawling voices called from women who occupied a few of the velet chairs. "Do come in..."

Cassian shook his head to clear it. He would have to ignore it. He would have to ignore everything but the task at hand. He looked up quickly when he heard soemone clearing their throat. At the back of the lavish room was an equally lavis chair, not unlike a throne. The arms of the chair were bare...except for the same patterns and painted designs as what had hypnotized Cassian at the doors. He had to fight so that the same spell did not overtake him again. In the "throne" was a rather good looking man about in his late 30s. He had dark hair which was slicked back from his face, and he wore a neutrally colored suit. He also wore a pair of smart glasses over his cold eyeswhich werew now fixed upon Cassian in a half bored, amused way. Cassian shifted uncomfortably under the man's powerful gaze.

"Mr. Cassian," the chilling voice which shook Cassian uttered. "Do you have a rank at all as of yet? You have only been with us for a short time, and I regret to say that I have not had the time to keep track of our...newest members." The man's speech was slow, menacing.

"No...No sir, I do not. And I do not have a partner yet either..." Cassian had to struggle to keep his voice from cracking.

"Hmm."

"Sir?"

Slowly, the man rose from his seat, and crossed the distance between them.

"You've never seen me in person, have you, Mr. Cassian?"

Cassian was having difficulty speaking, his mouth just wouldn't form the words. "N-no... sir..."

The man smiled, which caused Cassian to surpress another shiver. "Well, I assure you that I am no representative. I am the real thing. The founder of the organization Delilah, the Cardmaster."

He turned away from Cassian and towards one of the stretched windows, pulling the curtain back to look out of it. "However some may know me better as the Earl Alexis Hargreaves..." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than to his "guest", for he only trailed off and kept staring out of the window to the darkness outside.

Cassian started when he finally spoke again. "Mr. Cassian, I believe I have the perfect assigment for someone of your...talents." The Cardmaster turned slowly to meet Cassian's startled eyes, smirking. I will assign you to our doctor here at Delilah, and you will be his...ah, assisstant."


	2. Meeting

"Good morning, Mr. Cassian."

Cassian sighed, and turned his attention away from his breakfast to the maid next to him. "Can I help you?"

"I have been instructed to lead you to your station when you are finished eating, sir."

To Cassian, the maid was far too chipper than anyone in the morning had a right to be. He glared at her.

"Does it _look_ like I'm finished eating?"

The maid's smile faltered, and a brief look of mingled shock and confusion crossed her face. "Y-yes sir... I-I mean no sir... Excuse me sir..." The poor woman bowed meekly and quickly exited the dining hall, obviously distraught.

Cassian sighed heavily this time, putting his elbows up on the table so his hands could cradle his aching head. 'What is with this place?' he thought.Ever since he had joined Delilah, he had done nothing but think of how to back out of it. However, since the night before, he had found that the window in which to escape had deliberatrly become smaller. He lifted his head. Being assigned to the organization's only doctor was obviously the Cardmaster's way of saying there was no turning back now, that he could never escape. Now all he could do was hope that this doctor wasn't the typical crazed scientist that he had been picturing since last night.

The doctor's name was Jizabel Disraeli. Honestly, _Jizabel_? What kind of self respecting man would allow himself to have such a ... girly name? Hell, it _was_ a girl's name!! Ah, well, he couldn't be picky, especially when he hadn't even met the man yet. Cassian rose, frustrated, from his seat, and stormed to where the maid had escaped to. Yes... he still had to meet the man.

Cassian followed the maid down a long hallway. As he walked he tried to sort out his thoughts.

Before he was able to do that, however, the maid ubruptly stopped. "Ah! High...High Priest Cassandra!"

Cassian watched as the maid bowed low to the approaching man. He had shoulder length sandy brown hair and a menacing, but somehow still almost cheerful look in his eyes. Cassian shuddered. There was absolutely nothing at all good about this man. The man(Cassandra, he supposed; what was with all the guys having girl names around here?!)then turned his gaze from the maid to him. And he smiled one of the most chilling smiles Cassian had ever seen. "You must be the doctor's new helper," he said slowly, with an air of superiority. "What was your name again?"

Cassian decided not to make enemies so soon. "Cassian."

Cassandra seemed to regard him thouhtfully for a moment, and then he broke into a large grin, chuckling. "Well, good luck to you, _Cassian_. You're going to need it dealing with Jizabel.That doctor is certainly a run for your money..."

And with that, he moved swiftly past him and continued down the hall, still chuckling softly.

Cassian stared after him, sickened, then looked back at the maid. "Well? Are we going or what?"

The woman broke out of her stupor with a start, and gushed her apologies, hurrying down the corridor once more. Cassian hung back for a little while, then followed, still fighting back the sickening feeling his stomach was sending up.

Soon the pair came to the entrance of a large open courtyard. The maid stood to the side of the entrance. "The doctor should be in here, sir," she said, bowing and holding out an arm for him to enter.

Cassian hesitated, then finally gave in, walking into the heavily overgrown courtyard. He jumped a little when the maid closed the thin wood framed door behind him. He turned and stared out into the tall hedges and flowers. Deciding that he was accomplishing nothing by standing and staring, he began to walk the narrowed path a little. After awhile, he grew tired of this and simply began to call out to the doctor. Still not finding anything or hearing a response,Cassian began to wonder if all of this was some kind initiation prank. Infuriated by the thought, he violently kicked at a nearby tree.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!Chirp! Chirp!

Cassian turned at the sound, and found that it was a nest of birds on the ground near the tree he had just kicked. He was just about to inspect it when he heard a rustle behind him. Cassian whipped around to see an out of breath young man with long(was the color actually gray?) hair and glasses.

"Are you alright? I heard a noise and then-"

The man rushed toward Cassian and he stiffened, a bit surprised by the stranger's definite concern. "Oh, um, yes I..." he stumbled, completely caught off guard. The man approached, and then completely brushed past him. Cassian ceased his incoherent babbling, stunned for the second tim in the last 5 seconds. What exactly was going on?

Cassian faced where the man had gone to see him bent over the nest, cooing to the birds sweetly. He had been so preoccupied with the man himself, he had already forgotten about the birds. He watched the man as he picked up the whole nest gently, and replaced it on the tree limb it had probably fallen from. He cleared his throat after a few minutes. "Um, sir?"

The man turned quickly around as if he had thought he was alone, staring at him, then he seemed to regain his composure and he straightened himself. Cassian was a bit shocked when he realized that the man's fixed gaze on him was now angry. "You shouldn't go around knocking birds from their homes," he said bluntly. Cassian sputtered, at a loss for words. "And you should be ashamed. You could have killed them!"

"Um, I, I mean that, uh, aw crap..." Cassian was caught completely off guard. He had not been expecting a verbal attack. The man had not looked the type; in fact, he had even looked somewhat... sweet. He was not prepared regardless, and words would not come to him, no matter how hard he tried to search for a response.

Then the man sighed. "However I suppose it cannot be helped now. At least you did not end up harming them in the end," he said softly, looking back up at the limb where the birds were in an almost wistful fashion. Cassian just stared at him. This man was very strange, he could just feel it. Why did he care so much about what happened to those birds? Oh well, it didn't matter at this point. He was forgetting his real mission.

"Um, sir?"

The man glanced at him, still facing the tree. "Yes? What is it?"

"Have you seen the doctor in this courtyard? I'm supposed to meet with him today, and the maid said that he was here..." Cassian trailed off, turning his head in the direction he'd come, where he was sure that the woman who'd lead him here was still standing.

The man moved to face him completely, then held out his hand. "Yes, that would be me," he smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Doctor Jizabel Disraeli. You would be my new subordinate, correct?"


	3. What's Inside

It had already been three weeks since Cassian had been under Doctor Jizabel, and honestly, he didn't know what to make of his time at all. He was confused. He had always pictured that a doctor of such a secret and devious organization as Delilah would have been a little more... well, devious. The doctor didn't fit that description at all. In fact he seemed almost...cheerful. That alone was almost enough to creep Cassian out.

In truth, he wasn't unlikable. He had pictured much worse when he had been told his assignment intially. The doctor never asked very much of him, only to run a few normal errands now and again. Cassian was happy about that. It would be a cake walk to rise up in the ranks of this organization. He would reach his goal in no time. At least that's all he thought at first. But the more time he had to spend around the doctor, the more intrigued he was by him. How could a man who talked to animals when he thought he was alone and spent as much time as possible outside and was just so... so _innocent_ be apart of such a ruthless group of people? How did he get sucked into Delilah in the first place? The more he thought about it, the more that became all that he could think about.

He was facinated by Dr. Jizabel Disraeli.

Cassian sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately... He sat on a ledge in the same overgrown court yard that he was in just a few weeks ago, waiting.

"Doctor! How much longer is this going to take?" Cassian called after a few more minutes of boredom.

"Patience is an excellent virtue, Mr. Cassian," came the reply from somewhere on his left. Cassian sighed heavily once more, and slumped on the ledge. "I've been patient... you're just taking a long time..." he muttered.

"I'm sorry to be wasting so much of your valuable time."

Cassian jumped at the voice that was suddenly behind him. "Jeez, Doctor! Don't do that!"

The doctor chuckled a little, then moved past him to go into the large mansion. Cassian quickly jumped down to walk behind him, having to quicken his pace a little for the doctor's long stride.

"So what were you doing anyway?"

"I was taking care of some of my own business, Mr. Cassian. There's no need for you to know anything more."

Cassian faltered for a second, pausing in step and stared after the gray head that was still steadily walking away. He had never been so short with him before. "Is something wrong, sir?"

He asked hesitantly, finding himself somewhat wary of his boss' new found mood.

"Nothing at all, Mr. Cassian, though I suggest you pick up the pace," was the answer without a single falter in his walk or voice to suggest that indeed anything was wrong. However, even after only a few weeks of being around him, Cassian felt that he knew him well enough to tell. And the fact that something was troubling the doctor worried him. The doctor was pretty high up. He would know if something was... wrong.

"...Yes, whatever you say, sir."

Later that evening the doctor was called away to some important meeting that seemed to involve everyone in Delilah but him and the servants. Cassian decided to spend his rare amount of idle time and even more rare time with no one actually in the mansion to ask questions, roaming around the mansion. He found... not a lot surprisingly. The mansion was typical. Too much so. Someone spent a lot of time making sure there was no evidence to suggest that this was anything more than a normal aristocratic dwelling. Cassian cursed. He would be bored again, and he hated being bored.

He wandered back to his room, and flopped on his bed. He glanced around the small room. Even though he feigned disinterest, he was enthralled at actually having a room that was his, and even more so in having a bed. He layed there for a few more seconds, still looking at every detail his room had to offer, when his eyes fell on the door of an adjoining room. He knew that it was the door that led to the doctor's study, which in turn led to his room. He knew he wasn't allowed in there. He knew it, and yet he didn't stop himself from getting up and opening the door, and cautiously stepping inside. The study was fairly plain.

A few decorations, meaningless trinkets that he doubted the doctored actually put any store in at all, a desk at the far end of the room, and a large shelf that covered an entire wall completely filled with books. Of course, all of these books were medical. There was a closet on the wall with the desk and another door(his bedroom, Cassian guessed) on the wall next to it. Cassian stared at the pattern on the carpet for a few moments,trying to decide what to do. He took a deep breath, and headed for the bookcase. A quick left Cassian already feeling bored and overwhelmed. He could never understand how educated people memorized all this stuff. Making a face, he put the book he was looking at away, and he walked over to the desk.

There was really nothing of interest there either. Was the doctor really this boring? There was nothing on the desk but a pen and an ink well. In the drawers, there was paper, a few blank field journals, and... Cassian picked up one of the field journals that actually had something in it carefully, and flipped through it. There were sketches of a few animals and their anatomy, as well as a complete human anatomy run through. Cassian sighed softly and closed the book putting it back in its place.

Then he debated where to look next. Inspection of the bedroom was a bust. Nothing of interest there either. Just a bed, a nightstand with a lamp and a book on it, and a closet with a few sets of clothes in it. Then Cassian moved to the closet in the study. For the first time, Cassian hesitated, something telling him that maybe he should stop while he had still found nothing of interest about the doctor. But curiousity won, as always in the end, and he slowly turned the handle of the the closet door. And was frozen in shock at what he saw.

Row upon row of organs, of eyes, of intestines, of everything your body that you were never supposed to see. No one should ever see. All in jars for ever preserved and for everyone to see who pried to deep in this doctor's privacy. Cassian covered his mouth quickly as he felt his throat tighten and the contents of his stomach try to come back up. He slammed the door shut, and ran back to his own room, leaning on the door once he was inside. Breathing heavily, Cassian found himself becoming increasingly angry. "What the HELL was THAT!?"

Cassian never said anything to the doctor about what he saw, but from then on he could get himself to even look in the direction of the door leading to his room. He constantly wondered why the doctor kept... those... those _organs. _And then he began to wonder what else there was about the doctor that he didn't know. His curiousity about him only grew, and from that, he began grow a bit... fond of him. Perhaps there was much more to this doctor than he could have ever possibly imagined.


	4. Tension

Disclaimer:I do not own Godchild!!

Cassian would have killed to be anywhere but in that room. The doctor had been quiet for quite some time, and it had long started to unnerve Cassian. He had been watching the gray-haired man carefully, waiting for an order- any order. But none came. Cassian was itching to move, to be doing something, anything to get away from the tension between them.

He directed his desperation at his superior's back, almost daring to hope that doctor would hear him and take pity. Cassian knew his efforts would be in vain, and soon gave up. After several more tantalizingly slow moments of silence, the doctor's soft, but clear voice cut through it.

"Cassian?"

Cassian deflated, letting out a sigh of utter relief. "Sir?"

The doctor preceeded to give him meaningless errands, which Cassian was all too eager to carry out. Cassian wondered as he left if his need to be away had sunk into the other man, or if he had just needed time alone. Either way, Cassian did his errands happily and with carefully efficiency. Unfortunately, the pointless busy work didn't last nearly long enough for Cassian.

He slowly meandered down the corridor, taking as much time as possible to get to the very end, where the doctor's room was. Cassian paused for a moment outside of a door that was opened only just enough for a sliver of light to break free into the hallway. Never one to mind his own business anyway, Cassian decided to start listening when he heard voices discussing the doctor by his given name.

"...Jizabel has seen his brother, has he?"

"Yes, sir. And he seemed to not be taking it well."

"I don't care how Jizabel chooses to handle the effects of this situatuion, so long as he stays in character for Cain and remembers what he must do.When will he leave again?"

Cassian shivered when he heard the Cardmaster's voice. He did not trust the man, and he knew that his whole purpose was to destroy this "Cain" person. He didn't exactly know why, but he knew that if a man could readily(eagerly, even!) kill his own son, there was nothing good about him.

"Tomorrow, sir. It has come to our attention that Earl Cain," Cassian didn't miss the sarcasm in the woman(what was her name? Moon?) reporting's voice. He didn't much care for her either. "Has come down with a terrible fever, and is in need of doctor. And our doctor is on call."

"Excellent."

Cassian leaned against the wall beside he door. So the doctor had seen his bro? Big deal...right? Did the doctor hate him? Well, Cain was the one they were after... Maybe... maybe the doctor was worried about his brother?

Shaking his head, Cassian puched off the wall and quickly distanced himself from the door.

That doctor! He had scared the living shit out of him! Biting a cianide thing in his tooth!! What was he thinking?!

Cassian paced quickly in his tiny room, desperately thinking of a way to see the doctor and not get caught. The doctor was in a hospital, of sorts. It was a facility just below the mansion itself. And no one but the Cardmaster and who the Cardmaster wanted was allowed to see him.

Cassian wouldn't admit it, but the doctor had grown on him. And now that he liked him and actually cared about what happened to the little bastard, he had to go and try to kill himself?! Cassian increased his pacing with the anger of his thoughts, so much so that he as practically running back and forth in his room.

Stupid! The doctor was one of the most intelligent people he knew, yet he was so stupid!!

Before Cassian could really get a plan going, his door was opened. At the sound, Cassian spun around to confront whoever it was, but the words died in his throat when he saw his "visitor".

That man again, Cassian thought, staring at High Priest Cassandra. What is he doing here? He knows the doctor isn't around right now.

Cassandra grinned widely at Cassian before speaking. "Cassian, is it?"

Cassian glared at the man. He didn't trust him as far as he could throw him, which given his body, would not be far. "Yeah, so what it is?"

"I wondered if you could do something for me, that's all," replied Cassandra, still smirking.

"Why? I don't work for you. I work for the-"

"Doctor. I know, you're Jizabel's dog. But I still want you to do something for me. I will not accept no."

There was an uncomfortable pause, then Cassian took a deep breath. "It depends on what you want."

Cassandra seemed to brighten, then he took a few steps closer to the smaller man, reaching into his pocket as he went. "I need you to take this to your doctor. Jizabel will want to see it, " he said, handing Cassian what he pulled from his pocket.

Cassian hesitantly took it, a wrinkled piece of paper folded twice into a small square, and put it in his own pocket. He glared at the high priest the entire time, almost afraid to take his eyes off of him. He didn't like how casually Cassandra was referring to the doctor, and he felt an overpowering urge to punch the man in front of him. Cassian almost laughed at himself. He sounded like an overprotective father watching over his daughter. Surely the doctor could take care of himself. However, Cassian still couldn't shake the feeling...

"What is it anyway?" he asked, eyes still glued to Cassandra.

"Nothing to worry you're pretty head about. It's for your superior, not you." That said, Cassnadra turned on his heel and walked briskly out of Cassian's room, without so much as a glance back at him.

Cassian let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Why did the man make him so nervous? He took out the note and stared at it, debating whether or not he should just read it. Deciding he would leave the doctor's business to the doctor(something that was rare for Cassian to decide), he tucked back into his pocket to await the day the doctor got back for the clinic. The he sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands. He could already tell that the next couple of weeks were gooing to be tough on him. He just knew it.

**AN: **_And from here, I'm a little stuck, but I will try to update it soon. _


End file.
